Cervical cancer is a common female cancer and the second most common cancer among women aged 15-44 in my country. Globally, one woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes. It is understood that most cervical cancers are related to HPV virus infection, so some people say that cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be prevented by vaccination. Is it still useful to vaccinate cervical cancer after having sex? Why
HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer
HPV virus, the Chinese name is human papilloma virus, which is a general name for a certain type of virus. 40 types of HPV can infect the genital area, and some types have a high risk of causing cervical cancer.
HPV vaccine is a vaccine made from a virus coat. Taking the quadrivalent HPV vaccine as an example, the main component is an inactive protein derived from human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, and 18. It also contains sodium chloride, L-histidine, sodium boride, water for injection, etc. The
HPV vaccine can effectively prevent HPV infection and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. In addition, the vaccine can also effectively prevent vulvar cancer, throat cancer, genital warts (condyloma acuminatum) and other related diseases.
When is it suitable for cervical cancer vaccine injection? Is injection still useful after having sex?
It is generally believed that the best time to inject the cervical cancer vaccine is before women have sex. Therefore, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends that the age of use of the vaccine is 9-26 years old for women with asexual life history. Many data believe that 9 Girls aged -16 are the best candidates for cervical cancer vaccines.
So if a woman has sex, even after the age of 26, is it still useful to inject the cervical cancer vaccine?
Professor Liu Jihong, chief physician of the Department of Gynecology, Sun Yat-sen University Tumor Hospital, said in a previous interview that although the effect of cervical cancer vaccine injection after having sex will be reduced, in order to prevent cervical cancer, even if the best injection conditions are not met, women still receive cervical cancer vaccine Necessary. Foreign clinical trials have found that vaccination after having sex is not ineffective, but the effect is not so good. However, even women who have sex should also get vaccinated, because even if the body is already infected with HPV virus, vaccination can prevent re-infection and still have an effect on the prevention of cervical cancer.
Professor Liu Jihong also reminded that women who have sex should also be tested for HPV infection when they are vaccinated against cervical cancer. “If you start sex, you may have been infected with HPV. At this time, even if you are vaccinated, it cannot be cleared. The existing infection is just to prevent you from reinfecting. Of course, if both types 16 and 18 have been infected, there is no need to inject a bivalent vaccine.”
Regarding vaccine safety issues, Professor Liu Jihong believes that women do not need to worry Cervical cancer vaccine does not produce serious side effects, and injection is basically safe. "Skin rash, red itching and other reactions are possible with any kind of vaccine injection, but the incidence is not high, and it is a one-time local reaction. Systemic reactions such as fever are also short-term and can be actively treated. Cervical cancer vaccines do not have any serious side effects. Most of these side effects are not caused by the antigen of the vaccine itself, but are used to increase the antigen titer in the vaccine. The reaction caused by the adjuvant."
